The Unusual Consequences of Fanmail
by Upside Down Iguanas Etc
Summary: A first venture into FanFicdom.. Set against the backdrop of the Ruby and Sapphire games, these are adventures of some original trainers on a quest for fame, power, and two mystical pokemon. Favorite characters from the shows and games take part in intere


A note from the author: I have loads of lovely italics in here, but I cannot figure out how to make the survive the journey from file to story. If you know, I'd love to get a little explanation. Thanks! Anyway, I'm introducing two of the main characters in this chapter and trying to sprinkle in bits of realism that makes fanfiction worth reading. :) Hope I succeed!  
  
A single figure stood silhouetted against a morning sky. Below him, a roaring sea swelled, strangely void of life. Arms akimbo, his eyes scanned the restless waters in vain. No sign of any Wailmer, for the second week in a row.  
  
It just didn't make sense! All studies had pointed to a population explosion by the time tourist season rolled around. In anticipation for the crowds that would surely flock to Mossdeep's shores, Timothy Plite had used his savings to purchase a fleet of luxurious boats to accompany his simply named Wailmer Watcher. The Tidal Wave, Melody, Harmony, The Wave Brusher, Alexis, Wailmer's Keep, Little White, all gleaming in their new coats of paint, all at his command. Each glimmered with beauty and potential, but were useless. He had to face it, science had been very wrong, and his little Pokemon watching tour was suffering.  
  
Mr. Plite was about to leave the quiet harbor when a twelve-year-old girl came trotting up behind him, her pale hair pulled into a ponytail and her sleeves rolled up.  
  
"Sorry I'm late, Dad. I got an email from--" she stopped uncertainly when she reached his side, "What's the matter, Daddy? Haven't you seen any yet?"  
  
He sighed and shook his head, "Not the slightest sign of any life."  
  
His daughter smiled reassuringly and took a pair of binoculars from around her neck, "Oh well, this is nice weather, just right for sticking around and waiting for those silly fish to turn up. Who knows, they could come--"  
  
"No, hon. I can't afford to waste another day 'sticking around', we both have better things to do."  
  
"It's okay, I'm fine staying here with you."  
  
It was Timothy's turn to smile, "No, Melody, I have a feeling they won't come today, and besides, you deserve a day off, you've spent the entire beginning of Summer painting those boats," he gestured towards the brightly painted cluster in the harbor.  
  
Melody's whole being seemed to slump forward with her shoulders, "'Kay, Dad, I'll go, but if the Wailmer do turn up, find me, alright?"  
  
"Alright."  
  
With that, Melody turned and walked aimlessly away from the shores.  
  
"Mel--"  
  
The twelve-year-old did an about face and brightened visibly, "What? Do you see one?"  
  
Her father smiled, knowing her actions were nothing more than a gesture to show how much she cared, "Sorry, no, but I just remembered: Steven came home last night."  
  
"Steven?! Great! See ya, Dad! Don't stay out too long, I don't want you sunburned!"  
  
Timothy Plite laughed at the prospect of his naturally dark skin even beginning to burn as he watched his daughter skip towards the Champion's humble home.  
  
++++++  
  
Steven was sitting back in his chair, armed with a cup of strong espresso and ready to take on an overwhelming pile of fan-mail, when the door opened.  
  
"Hey, Mel," he said whilst trying to conceal his mountain of billet-doux under his newspaper.  
  
Melody wasn't that unobservant, "Oooh, I was wondering why the mail's been so slow."  
  
"Yep, I'm afraid I've succeeded in drowning the post office again," sighed Steven in mock shame.  
  
Both of them laughed.  
  
"Why aren't you out helping your dad, Mel?" Steven offered here a chair.  
  
Melody sat down dejectedly, "Nothing to help with. There aren't any Wailmer."  
  
"Still?" he thought a moment, "Maybe I should look into that. Before then, I'm guessing you want me to find you something to do."  
  
A grin and a nod came from his blonde neighbor.  
  
"Well, there's nothing to do at my place except sort mail--"  
  
Her reply was instantaneous, "It would be my pleasure."  
  
"Really?" he raised his eyebrow in obvious surprise, "There should be more kids like you, Mel. The world would be a better place."  
  
She hid her blush behind a heavily scented letter of adoration, "Are you worried about the Wailmer?"  
  
Steven nodded as he slid open an envelope, "And not just Wailmer, the seas are completely empty and no one can figure out why."  
  
Melody placed the letter in a stack of lipstick and perfume embellished papers and took an unread envelope, "Yeah, it's crazy. Everyone thought there were going to be tons of 'em this year, but no. Oh look, this one's a bill."  
  
Steven took the letter an examined it, "Argh, I already paid those punks in Slateport. Speaking of punks, how's your Dad doing with his little business?"  
  
"Hey!"  
  
He chuckled, "Just kidding."  
  
She chuckled, too, but not with as much confidence, "Yeah, he's trying to act like everything's fine, but I can tell he's worried."  
  
"Are you sure? From what I know, you have a lot of money saved up for... rough times."  
  
"Then you don't know a lot. Dad spent our 'rough times' fund on the new boats, he was so sure we could earn it all back this season--" she frowned and tipped a wax seal into the trash can.  
  
Steven sat up, "How do you know that?"  
  
Melody's eyebrow raised as the corners of her lips turned downward, "How couldn't I know?!  
  
I've been handling our accounts ever since my Mom--"  
  
A stray tear hit the thick embossed stationary and the only sounds to be heard were the far off rumbles of waves and Steven's hands slowly opening another envelope.  
  
Finally, Steven sorted another letter into its appropriate pile and observed, "It looks like good swimming weather today, why don't you go stretch your legs? The seas are the safest they've ever been."  
  
Looking up, Melody caught his eye, silent thanks for the subject change in her glance, "Sorry to say it, but you'd be better off calling them the dullest they've ever been. I'd rather stay in here and sort your fan mail, thank you very much."  
  
"Suit yourself, but I just figured you might want to take the opprotunity to explore a bit--" his voice trailed off as if he were giving some sort of business proposal, but he did not continue.  
  
The manuever had suceeded in gaining her interest, "Explore?"  
  
"Sure, in fact, Shoal Cave would be safe to investigate, now that all the Pokemon are gone--" he gleaned reassurance from Melody's rapt expression before continuing, "But, if you'd rather, I've got a whole other box full of mail in my room. We can spend the whole day--"  
  
With a flutter of envelopes, Steven's young assistant resigned from her mail sorting duties, and sprinted out the door with her typical eager skip.  
  
-+-+-+-+-  
  
"Round and round!  
  
Rydel bikes,  
  
Round and round!  
  
Are awful nice!"  
  
A groan erupted from a luxurious canopy bed as its resident groped around for the snooze button of her alarm clock. She found it and pounded on it several times, but the jaunty jingle did not stop.  
  
"Round and round!  
  
There's lots to do,  
  
With a Mach bike and an Acro too!"  
  
Kris groaned again. She knew her mom was proud of writing that little song, but did she really have to go around singing it?!  
  
"Round and round!  
  
Don't delay!  
  
Come and buy a bike today!"  
  
She eased herself from her yellow and red bedding, nearly stepping on the PokeNav she'd left carelessly on the floor. Brushing it aside with a flick of her foot, the teen-aged heiress opened her door to find a Spoink waiting with a tray full of breakfast food. Though his platter boasted a wide selection of delicious foods (oatmeal, bacon, eggs, panackes, fruit and a glass of juice), Kris plucked a single banana from the smorgasbord and sent him on his way.  
  
"Alright Bernie, go throw the rest away or something."  
  
The slightly dimwitted Pokemon look uncertainly at the heavily-laden tray and then at Kris.  
  
"You heard me, pig, I said go!"  
  
Not wanting to feel the wrath of a teenager in the morning, Bernie bounced away and began slowly picking his way down the long and tedious flight of stairs that stood between him and the kitchen.  
  
"Round and round!" began the high pitched voice again.  
  
"Maaaaaaaaaaaaah-om! Do you really have to sing that dumb song twentyfour- seven?!"  
  
"Gooooood morning, Sunshine, nice to see you're finally up!" replied her perky mother with a smile, before launching into another chorus of the Rydel Bikes Jingle.  
  
Kris grumbled as she nibbled at the banana.  
  
"Aw, honey, did you really make Bernie carry that whole tray up the stairs, only to have you reject it?"  
  
"Don't be so melodramatic, the pig lives to bring my breakfast up and down the stairs, besides, I only 'rejected' it because everything was cold."  
  
Her mother was making a point of watching Bernie struggle down each step, "It was only cold because you slept until noon, Vulpes had reheated it several times before I finally told her not to bother."  
  
"She was just trying to be nice."  
  
"Nice? Pumpkin, Vulpes is a cute little thing, but I don't think she's capable of nice: she's already burned poor Cynthia twice today."  
  
Kris rolled her eyes, "Serves the little beast right, she should know better by now. Anyway, aren't you supposed to be at work by now?"  
  
Mrs. Boltz's energetic smile only managed to annoy her daughter, "It's Sunday."  
  
The groggy brunette gave her mother another eye roll before skipping easily past Bernie down the stairs to look for her pet Vulpix.  
  
She found now sign of Vulpes, but noticed a Magnamite buzzing aimlessly around the corner.  
  
Kris followed it into a dim study, "Daaa-ad, have you seen Vulpes?"  
  
An awkwardly tall man with black hair and glasses started and looked up at his dear little daughter, "Hu-what?! Oh, hello Kris, you're up early."  
  
For quickly looking back down at his work, Mr. Elliot Boltz was granted one of his daughter's famous eye-rolls.  
  
Kris held the time display on her father's cell phone close to his face, "It's nearly one o'clock, in the afternoon!"  
  
Mr. Boltz brushed her away with a nervous chuckle, "Really? My my, time sure does fly when you're having fun."  
  
Kris frowned at the scribblings of equations and figures that lay on the desk, "Yeah, whatever you say, Dad. Have you seen Vulpes?"  
  
"Vulpes? Affirmative, I spotted her trotting into the kitchen."  
  
"Um, Dad, no one uses 'affirmative' in modern conversation."  
  
"Well, I do."  
  
Shrugging defiantly, Kris set off for the kitchen, too caught up in her 'woe-is-me-my-parents-are-so-stupid' act to notice she still had her dad's phone in her hand... 


End file.
